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Pennington County approves three variances for contested cell tower after emergency‑services engineering review
Summary
After neighbors raised aesthetic and property‑value objections, the board approved variance requests allowing a monopole telecommunications tower at 13599 Highway 40, citing a new engineering report on fall radius and letters from emergency services about coverage gaps.
The Pennington County Board of Commissioners on April 20 approved three variances that clear the way for a telecommunications monopole near Highway 40, overruling a December denial after additional engineering and emergency‑services input.
The board voted to grant a reduced minimum setback, a 1.1× height setback variance and a reduced setback to the nearest dwelling after planners presented an engineered fall‑radius letter and the county fire administrator submitted a letter saying first‑responder coverage in the area is inadequate.
Why it matters: County staff and the local fire administrator said the site would close an existing cell‑coverage gap and improve emergency communications in a portion…
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